1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing apparatus, which is applied as a paper money processing apparatus, for example, for classifying and stacking paper money in stacking boxes according to the kinds of money and whether the condition of money is normal or damaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
A paper money processing apparatus of this kind is functionally divided into a sorting machine, a money counting machine and a normal/damaged classifying machine. The sorting machine has a setting unit to set paper money (hereinafter called a note), a take-in device to take in and feed the paper money set in the setting unit, and a judgment unit to judge the kind, front/back, direction and true/false of a note. The machine classifies and stacks a specified number of notes in a stacking box based on the result of the judgment.
A note failed to judge by the judgment unit, or judged impossible to handle in the machine is classified into a rejection box.
The money counting machine has a data add-up function added to the money sorting machine, and counts the input money data for each transaction batch, adds up the transaction amount of a day, and totalizes the input money for each customer. When receipt of money for each transaction is confirmed, a large number of notes are often continuously stacked in a stacking box in many cases. The stacking number of notes is set to 100-2000 for one stacking box, for examples.
The normal/damaged classifying machine judges whether a note taken in from a take-in device is normal or damaged in a judgment unit, and classifies the note into normal or damaged based on the result of judgment, and stacks the note. A note is judged damaged, if a degree of stain or damage exceeds a preset level. A damaged note is bad in the quality and condition, having adherence of tape, bent corner, peeled-off end, tear, wrinkle, and tired, for example. The damaged note classifying performance of the normal/damaged classifying machine depends much upon the quality and condition of a note.
The stacking box is provided with a backup, a width guide and a position adjusting guide. The width of a note led into the stacking box is guided by the width guide, stacked on a backup, and adjusted the longish side by the position adjusting guide. An impeller is provided in the note input side of the stacking box, to guide notes one by one to the stacking box.
However, in the prior art, the backup descends a certain distance whenever a predetermined number of notes are stacked on the backup, and the height of stacked notes is varied depending on the quality and conditions of a note.
When the height of stacked notes increases, a space to receive a subsequent note is not ensured, causing a jam or a stack error. Contrarily, when the height of stacked notes decreases, the distance to drop a note becomes long, the position of a note becomes unstable, and a note is stacked in being stood or inclined.
Particularly, when the apparatus is used as a money counting machine, the stack height is uneven and the stacking performance becomes unstable when the backup descent distance is controlled to a certain level, because a number of notes are stacked and the quality and condition of each note are different in each batch of receipts from a different customer.
In the prior art, the position of the width guide in a stacking box is uniformly controlled according to the sizes of note, and if the position of the width guide is set to a note size +0˜1 mm, for example, and the quality and condition of a note are bad, the corner and edge of a note is caught by the width guide, causing a stack error.
In the prior art, the position adjusting operation of the position adjusting guide is controlled according to the size of each kind of note (speed, amplitude, number of position adjustment, and position adjusting timing for each note), and the edge of note is not aligned as expected and the stacking performance may become bad. For example, a tired note is merely bent and the stacking position is not adjusted as expected, even if the position is adjusted at a high speed and large amplitude. A note having a bent corner or peeled-off end is not normally positioned even if the note position is adjusted in the stacked state, because the bent corner or peeled-off end is caught by the upper and lower notes.
In the prior art, an impeller is provided in a fixed condition, and when a note fed to a stacking box is displaced to the sliding direction against to the center of the feeding, the position and center of gravity of a note against the impeller are displaced, the balance becomes bad, and the note drops or projects from the impeller, giving a bad influence to the stacking performance. A note asymmetrical to the center, for example, a note having a peeled-off edge or a largely bent corner, or a broken note is displaced from the impeller or the center of gravity is displaced, and the balance becomes bad and drops or projects from the impeller, giving a bad influence to the stacking performance.